We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of our Patron, The Queen, and offer our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family. As a mark of respect and mourning, this blog was not published as planned last week.
The summer holidays are over, and with their end an eerie silence has descended over Saltholme. Good job we’ve got all our wonderful wildlife to fill the void with birdsong. That’s right, it’s been another busy week at our reserve and we intend to tell you all about it. So buckle up and read on…
News from the Estate:
Cutting and trimming has benefits for managing a nature reserve. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
It’s still mowing season. The estates team are still working incredibly hard to keep the grass on the reserve under control. Why are we cutting back plants on a nature reserve? Well, there are a number of reasons:
That sounds posh doesn’t it? Basically, a lot of our native wildflowers get crowded out by the larger and faster-growing grasses. By keeping the grass short, these flowers have a greater chance of establishing themselves in an area. And where there are flowers, there are insects. Where there are insects, there are birds and other wildlife. Because we are all connected, in the great circle of life.
Habitats are areas in which species can live. Different species are adapted to living in different habitats. The exact conditions, and roles a species fulfils in an ecosystem, is called its ‘niche’. By varying the heights of vegetation around the reserve, we are creating and maintaining as many different habitat types and niches as possible, encouraging a greater range of life to thrive here.
We think this one is pretty self-explanatory.
It was a little soggy this week. A little too soggy to be mowing grass on Thursday. So what better task to do on a rainy day than to jump into our main lake? There was a purpose to this exercise- the estates team were moving our tern rafts to their winter storage areas. The common terns have now fledged and are on their migration journey to the continent of Africa. As the tern rafts are no longer in use, we are moving them to a more sheltered location so they stay watertight and afloat for next year’s terns. Not a bad use of a rainy day.
What’s On:
Image Credit: Helen Pugh, RSPB Images
This week has been the bridge between the end of the summer holidays and all the amazing events we have planned for the autumn and winter. For example, next week we will be running Pond Dipping for Grown-ups and our latest Little Birders event.
Firstly, pond dipping for grown-ups is a consequence of use deciding that it’s immoral to let kids have all the fun. We have been running pond dipping sessions for children throughout the summer holidays and have noticed many over-18s peering into the buckets with great interest. Now that the children are back in school, we’re opening up these sessions to adults! Come along on 15, 16, 22 and 23 September (10am-2:30pm) and ask at the front desk to book onto a half-hour slot.
Our Little Birders event is aimed at families who are wanting to learn more about the amazing world of birds and binoculars. With experts on-hand to show you how to get the most out of binoculars, and to help you identify the birds you see through them, it’s great fun and a valuable education for anyone who wants to see the wonderful wildlife we have here. Our next event is taking place on 18 September, and you can book tickets here.
Recent Sightings:
Whilst the pectoral sandpiper is mostly a visitor to the UK, there are just over 50 that breed in this country. Image Credit: Mike Langman, RSPB Images
A pectoral sandpiper was busy posing for scopes and cameras on our main lake on Tuesday. Or at least it was until the heavens opened and the island it was standing on disappeared.
Image Credit: David Tipling, RSPB Images
Just around the corner from where the pectoral sandpiper was, a cetti’s warbler was busy singing. These birds have all the key identifying features of pretty much any warbler- small, mostly brown, sings well and is only seen briefly. However, this one seemed to quite like the attention and was seen by multiple visitors and staff.
Many goose species over-winter at Saltholme. As the seasons begin to turn, they are started to amass in our fields. Those pictured above are barnacle geese. Image Credit: James Duncan, RSPB Images
With autumn fast-approaching (how quickly is 2022 going?!), a variety of goose species are beginning to land at Saltholme. Many use our reserve as a place to spend the colder weather, flying south from their breeding grounds to avoid the worst of the winter weather. In this week alone, we have seen barnacle geese, greylag geese and canada geese flying into the reserve. What else will fly in over the next few weeks? Well, you’ll have to visit us to find out…
References and Additional Reading
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Barnacle Goose [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/barnacle-goose/ [last accessed 08/09/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Canada Goose [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/canada-goose/ [last accessed 08/09/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Cetti’s Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/cettis-warbler/ [last accessed 07/09/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Common Tern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/common-tern/ [last accessed 08/09/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Greylag Goose [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/greylag-goose/ [last accessed 08/09/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Pectoral Sandpiper [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/pectoral-sandpiper/ [last accessed 07/09/2022].